RyanFlynn wrote:
word. I'm a big fan of the D700/D3's. but the 5DII IQ looks great, and I can't give up my primes.
Orangefire ... i never said the D700 was a slouch I think it rocks. it's not as comfy in my hands as the 5D, or as the D3, though.
Yeah the whole comfort thing is so subjective. Some like it, some don't. I've used a D3 and gosh it feels perfect in my hands. It was like the whole camera was made to mate perfectly to a human hand... must be the intelligent industrial design!
I shoot a lot of indoor sports with my equipment, as well as a bit of environmental portraiture here and there. Here's my take as a former 5D and 1D Mark III owner, and a current D700 owner:
If you're only using the center point in One Shot, all three are roughly the same.
If you're using the center point in AI Servo, both the 1D Mark III and D700 are superior in terms of tracking. The D700's AF point expansion and tracking works quite well.
If you're using off-center points that are in the 3x5 array of cross-types on the D700, it is significantly superior to the 5D in terms of the range of conditions it can operate in. The 5D is okay as long as the contrast in your subject is "right", but if it's wrong you're hosed.
If you're using off-center points outside of the 3x5 array on the D700 (left and right periphery in a landscape-orientation shot), the 1D Mark III is a much better choice.
If you need control over the "intelligence" of the AF system in AI Servo in terms of sensitivity to objects passing in front of the sensor briefly, etc. both the D700 and 1D Mark III provide a level of customizability that the 5D doesn't even attempt to address. Edge here is still to the Mark III.
If you tend to use the center of the camera to focus (birds in flight, for instance), the D700's concentration of cross-type points there allows you to use the more automated modes (3D tracking, etc.) very effectively.
Long story short - the 1D Mark III system is still tops, but for the money the D700's is a close second. The Mark III is generally a bit "snappier", with the D700 having a slight edge in terms of consistency/accuracy. The D700's glaring flaw is its concentration of cross-type sensors in the center. But how that effects you really depends on what you shoot. Nikon needs to "fix" the D700's cross-type sensor layout so that it's more like the D2h/x, Mark III, 40D and 50D which all have cross-type sensors at every selectable AF point. In the D3/D300/D700's case I would suggest this be limited to the points selectable in "11 point" selection mode to keep costs down.
orangefirefish wrote:
I've used a D3 and gosh it feels perfect in my hands. It was like the whole camera was made to mate perfectly to a human hand... must be the intelligent industrial design!
I couldn't agree more. The grip on the D3 is as close to perfect as I've ever used. It's like it was designed by real humans, to be held by real humans. Go figure! haha.
RyanFlynn wrote:
I couldn't agree more. The grip on the D3 is as close to perfect as I've ever used. It's like it was designed by real humans, to be held by real humans. Go figure! haha.
I think it rocks. it's not as comfy in my hands as the 5D, or as the D3, though.